Shelving construction



April 2, 1935.

SHELVING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wzw w (Y (7/0 I p W w zo M Vfl w i /W. W M, r x V IL I L l m m M r W W W .v d W ll LWWQ .MMO @W a l -I- 1 4 WW W m Alf/wi April 2, 1935.

A. H. LEVENE ET AL SHELVING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mfg/IMP; Ma @fiM J$ Mp zw Patented Apr. 2, 1935 SHELVING CONSTRUCTION Albert H. Levene and David A. Carlson; Jamestown, N. Y., assignors to-Art Metal Constructicn Gcmpany, Jamestown, N. Y.

Application July 14, 1932, Serial No. 622,492 15 claims. (01. 211-136) This invention relates to shelving constructions, and particularly to a shelving construction of the knocked-down type which is fabricated at the factory and assembled at the place where it is to be used. Such shelving is particularly useful for the display of merchandise along the walls of stores.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved shelving construction which may be formed of sheet metal, which may be fabricated at the factory and easily and quickly assembled at the place where it is to be used with simple tools, which will be light in weight, attractive in appearance, and simple, rigid, strong and inexpensive in construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shelving construction formed practically entirely of sheet metal which, when assembled, will resist weaving, with which the shelves may easily be adjusted at difierent levels, with which all connections and fastening means will be largely concealed, which may be easily taken apart and reassembled when the shelving is to be moved, and which will have maximum rigidity at all points of connection.

Various other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of shelving constructed in accordance with this invention and composed of two sections;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a part of the same at the forward intermediate post;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryperspective of the inside of a corner of one of the shelves suchas the uppermost or lowermost shelf, and illustrating a novel manner of reinforcing the shelves at the corners;

Fig. 5 is a section plan of the shelving through one of the intermediate posts, the'section being taken approximately along line 55 of Fig. l; I

Fig. 5 is a transverse, sectional elevation of the shelving, the section being taken approximately along line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a plan of the sheet metal blank from which the shelves are formed by bending, the lines of bending being shown by the dash lines;

Fig. 8 is a plan of the blank from which the angular corner gusset plates are made, and the lines upon which it is bent in giving it the desired angular shape are shown by dash lines; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective of the angular gusset plate made from the blank shown in Fig. 8, after the blank has been bent upon the dash lines of Fig-8.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the improvedshelving includes a plurality oftubular posts-Ill which are arranged in pairs, and the pairs spaced apart in the direction in which the shelving is to extend. The posts of each pair are aligned forwardlyand rearwardly with respect to the shelving, and each post is tubular in shape with a flange extending lengthwise of the post and on the side toward the other post of the same pair. Such posts may be formed easily of sheet metal, and for that purpose a strip of sheet metal may be bent upon longitudinal lines at each side of its central, longitudinal line, so as to cause side portions thereof to extend rearwardly a short distance, as at i I, (Fig. 5) and then the bent edges or side portions are further bent-along longitudinal'lines so as to converge toward one another in a directionawayfrom the unbent, central face portion Mia, and give the post a somewhat triangular shape in transverse cross section.

. The converging sides l2, after meeting at the apex of the triangle, extend face to face for some distance from thetriangular body of the post to form a common flange B which runs lengthwise of the post and extends from the apex of the post in a direction toward the opposite post of that'pair. The shelves 14, including the top and bottom shelves as well as the intermediate shelves, may all be identical in construction and formed from identical blanks of sheet metal, a corner portion of one of which is shown in Fig. '7.

Theblank' for each shelf is approximately rectangular in shape and is provided with a notch H3 at each corner, so that when the blank is bent along the dash lines It, (Fig. '7) the shelf will havedepending; marginal flanges along all four edges. Each notch 15 does not have a sharp apex at its inner corner, but has, instead, an oblique line H, so that when the side edges of the blank are bent down to form the depending flanges I8, the corner edge portions 'l'l will form the corners of the shelf, and when the shelf is assembled between the pairs of posts, each line I! will fit against one of the converging walls I2 of the post at that point. The depending mar-. ginal flanges 18 on each shelf end have their lower edge portions further bent, along the dash lines iii in Fig. '7, so as to form horizontally extending flanges'ZG, each extending toward the opposite edge orside of the shelf.

The extreme edge portions of the flanges 20 are further bent or turned upwardly along the dash lines 2|, Fig. '7, to form the upstanding flanges 22, Fig. 4:. The depending flanges I8 along the front and rear edges of each shelf have tongues 23 extending endwise therefrom in the notches l5, and these tongues are bent along the dash lines 24 and 25, Fig. 7, so as to provide a section 26 which lies along the edge I! at each corner of the shelf and abuts against one of the converging faces or walls E2 of a post at that corner. The end portion 27 of each tongue lies along or overlaps with the flange l8 at the adjacent end of the shelf, as shown in Fig. 5. .The portions of the tongues 2'? which overlap with the depending flanges l8 at the ends of the shelf provide double thicknesses of metal where the shelf abuts the flanges l3 of the posts, and bolts 28 pass through suitably provided apertures in each post flange l 3, the depending marginal flanges H3 at the ends of the shelf, and the overlapping tongues 21.

The bolts 28, when tightened, serve to clamp the depending flanges l8 at the ends of each shelf to the post flanges l3, and in the case of the intermediate posts, as shown in Fig. 5, the shelves abut against opposite faces of the flanges l3 of the intermediate posts, and a common bolt 28 serves to clamp the adjacent ends of both shelves at the same level to one another and to a post flange 13. The tongues 21 not only provide additional thickness of metal at the point where the bolts 28 are placed, but they prevent flexing of the front and rear depending flanges I 8 of the shelf, and thus impart considerable rigidity to the shelves.

The face Illa of each post, opposite from the flange [3, may be plain or provided with one or more grooves 29 for ornamental purposes, and also to provide a corrugation which tends to stiffen that face of the post and, therefore, increases the rigidity and strength of the post. The flanges 13 of the posts may be provided with a plurality of apertures 30 arranged in a row along the same to receive the bolts 28, so that the shelves may be spaced apart and selectively placed at different vertical levels such as may be found suitable or desirable in use, and this also makes it easily possible to move, remove, or apply any of the shelves after the shelving has been set up for use. The interior area of each shelf may have a channel shaped, sheet metal strip secured to the under face thereof, as shown in Fig. 6,and running in a direction endwise of the shelf to act as a reinforcement strip which prevents sagging or flexing of the interior area of the shelf. The strip 3| preferably does not extend lower than the depending'flange l8 of each shelf.

In order to prevent or resist weaving of the shelving frame, gusset plates 32, shown in Fig. 9, may be provided at the corners between the shelvesand the posts, and these plates are preferably made right handand left hand, a right hand plate being shown in Fig. 4 and a left hand plate being shown in Fig. 9. These corner gusset plates 32 are formed of sheet metal, by stamping the same from a metal sheet in the form of a blank, shown in Fig. 8, after which the blank is bent along the dash lines shown in Fig. 8 until it has the shape shown in Fig. 9.

This angular gusset plate 32 has one angular arm or face 33 which fits against the flange [3 of the post at that corner, and has another arm or face 33 which extends in a direction lengthwise of the front of the shelf for a short distance. Each of the arms or faces 33 and 34 of each angular gusset plate is bent intermediate of its ends into a U-shape so as to form U-shaped grooves 35, Fig. 9, which receive fairly snugly the horizontal and upstanding flanges 20 and 22 of the depending flanges I8 at the same corner, as shown in Fig. 4. The gusset plates extend preferably to the under face of the horizontal surface of the shelf, and the side or end faces or arms 33 of the gusset plate extend preferably somewhat lower from the related shelf than the front arms or faces 34.

The arms or faces 33 and 34 of each gusset plate are connected by an oblique face section 33, Figs. 4 and 9, which is at the apex of the angle between the arms or faces and fits against one of the converging walls l2 of the post at that corner. Each arm or face 33 of a gusset plate is provided with an aperture 3'? which will be alined with one of the apertures 30 of the post flange I3'when a shelf is connected to the posts in a desired position. These angular gusset plates are shown as applied to each forward corner of the uppermost and lowermost shelves, although obviously they could be applied to the other corners as well and also, if desired, to the shelves at intermediate levels. Their use with the intermediate shelves has not ordinarily been found necessary however.

In order to give the front face of the shelving a finished and attractive appearance, the forward faces or arms 34 of the uppermost gusset plates are connected by a plate or metal strip 38. Such a plate extends between each pair of front posts and is connected to the forward faces of the gusset plates by screws 39 which extend into the plates 38 from the inner or rearward face of the gusset plate arm 34. A cornice or molding strip 40, (Fig. 6) is somewhat tubular in shape and extends lengthwise along the plate 33, and at its rear, open face is provided with flanges 4| and 42 which extend toward one another and hook behind the upper and lower edges of the plate 33 so as to be supported thereby.

By tightening the screw 39, the plate or strip 38 may be drawn toward the gusset plates, and the molding or cornice strip clamped firmly thereto. By having the forward arms or faces 34 of each gusset plate extend for a lesser distance below the shelf than is necessary for the other arms 33,. it is possible to use a plate 38 and a moldingor cornice strip 49 of relatively small vertical dimensions, thereby giving a minimum height of opening at the forward face of the shelving between the molding or cornice strip and the next shelf below the top. The molding or cornice strips 49, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, terminate at the posts Ill, because designed for standard sections, and to bridge the space between adjacent ends of the strips 40 at a post, we provide cornice caps 43, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, which overrun or telescope slightly with the strips 4|) at their adjacent ends. Each cap 43 has a triangular shaped or pointed tongue 44, Fig. 2, extending rearwardly and covering the upper, open end of the tubular part of the adjacent post lb.

The uppermost shelf, which forms the top of the shelving, is preferably fastened to the posts with its upper face just above the upper ends of the posts by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the metal of which the cornice caps 43 are made, so that when the caps 33 are assembled, as illustratedin Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, the pointed projection 44 of each will cover the upper end of the adjacent post and close it, and

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be flush with the upper surface of the shelf which forms the top of the shelving. The cornice cap 43 may be secured, if desired, such as by electric welding, to the adjacent end ofone of the molding strips do so as to form therewith a unit for assembling purposes.

A base molding strip 45, somewhat similar to the cornice molding strip 40 is provided along the lower front edge of the shelving, but at its upper edge is provided with a depending flange 46 which hooks behind a forwardly offset portion t! at the upper edge of a plate 48* which is secured to and connects the forward faces or arms 3 of the gusset plates that are provided with the forward corners below the lowermost shelf. The plates 43' are secured to the gusset plates by bolts 9.

The lower edge of each plate 48 is bent forwardly as at 59, Fig. 6, a short distance, and then bent upwardly to form an upstanding flange 5|. The lower edge of each molding strip d5 is bent rearwardly to form a flange 52, which preferably is on the same or a lower level as the flange 59, and is then bent upwardly to form a flange 53, and then is bent rearwardly in an inclined direction to form an inclined cam hook 54 which hooks over the upstanding flange 5| of the plate 48. The molding strip 35 thus may be engaged or disengaged from the plate 48 merely by vertical movement of the strip l5; and will remain attached to the plate 48 by its own weight.

It will be observed that shelving constructed in this manner may be fabricated at the factory and shipped in a knock-down condition and assembled'in the position in which it is to be used. In making the assembly, it will be noted that it is only necessary to insert the screws 39 and the bolts 28 and 49, which requires only simple tools. The angular gusset plates give a very rigid reinforcement to the corners of the shelving and prevent flexing of the flanges 20 and 22 of each shelf at the corner, particularly at the corners of the uppermost and lowermost shelves where the maximum'stresses caused by swaying or weaving of the frame are encountered. The depending flanges I8 of the shelves provide a convenient means for connecting the shelves to the posts without danger of the metal of the shelves tearing loose from the posts, and the flanges 20 and 22 along the lower edge of each depending flange it of a shelf stiffen the depending flanges l8 to such an extent that the shelf is a very rigid boxlike member which is connected to the posts through a maximum thickness of the sheet metal.

It Will also be noted that all of the boltsancl screws used in assembling the shelving are conveniently accessible, yet are largely concealed against casual observation by any person standing in front of the'shelving, and such shelving has the appearance of being, and is a rigid, unitary structure. The tubular posts are light because of their construction from sheet metal, yet because of their peculiar shape in crosssection, they are exceptionally rigid and strong, and enable the fitting of the shelves thereto in a simple manner and with a maximum strength in the connections between the shelves and the posts.

It will be obvious that various changes in the details, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a shelving construction, a plurality of posts arranged in rows parallel to one another and spaced apart in said rows, each post having 'a flange extending therefrom toward the corresponding post in the otherrow, a plurality of shelvesinterposed between adjacent posts and connected to the flanges thereof to form therewith a rigid unit, each shelf being formed of a plate of sheet metal having all of its edges flanged downwardly for a substantial distance from the face of the plate, the lower edge of each of said shelf flanges being'turned inwardly toward the opposite edge of the shelf for a substantial distance, and then turned upwardly, the depending portions of the shelf flanges on each edge having portions overlapping one another in the portions abutting said post flanges, and means passing through said overlapping shelf flanges and said post flanges for locking said shelves to the posts at the overlapping shelf portions.

2. In a shelving construction, a plurality of upstanding posts spaced apart, .a plurality of shelves on opposite sides of and interposed between and connecting said posts to form therewith a rigid construction, each'shelf being formed of an approximately "rectangular plate of sheet metal chamfered at the corners andhaving all its edge portions between chamfers bentto' form depending flanges, the depending portion of one of the flanges at each corner having-a tongue extending endwise therefrom,past'the charnfer at that corner, and bent transversely of its length so as to lie along and overlap the other depending flange at the samecorner, said overlapping flanges I of adjacent ends of horizontally aligned shelves abutting opposite sides of a post, and a member passing through the overlapping tongues and depending flanges of the aligned shelves on opposite sides of each post and; through the interposed post, for clamping the shelves together and to the interposedpost to form a rigid connection be tween the shelves and posts.

3. In a shelving construction, a plurality of posts arranged in pairs in the direction in which the shelf is to extend, shelves interposed between adjacent pairsof said posts and connected thereto, each shelf comprising an approximately rectangular plate of sheet metal chamfered at the 1 corners and having all its edge portions between chamfers bent downwardly to form depending flanges, the lower portion of each depending flange being bent parallel to the face of the shelf and toward the oppositeedge ofthe shelf and then further bent along its free edge upwardly to form an upstanding flange, the depending per-V rality of posts arranged in pairs at spaced inter number of vals, each post being tubular and formed of one I piece of sheet metal and having a broad, front face and a flange running endwise along each side edge of that face, extendingtowa-rd the other post of that pair, and brought together face to face to form a fin projecting from each tubular post, an approximately rectangular sheet metal shelf interposed between adjacent pairs of said posts and chamfered at its corners, the marginal portion of each edge of said plate having depending flanges extending between the chamfered corners, oppositeends of, the front and rear depending flanges of said plate havingtongues extending endwise therefrom and past the chamfers at the corners, and bent transversely thereof so as to overlap with and lie along a face of the adjacent end of the other depending flange at that corner, said shelves being arranged end to end but on opposite sides of the post fins with their overlapping flanges at the corners abutting the post fins, the abutting faces of said overlapping flanges of said shelf and the fins of said posts: having alined apertures and members passing through said aligned apertures and attaching said shelves to said posts to clamp together the flanges of each post and form therewith a rigid structure withaminimum of connecting parts.

5. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of pairs of tubular posts arranged at intervals, with the posts of each pair'spaced apart front and rear, each post in a pair being of one.-

said flanges, and having depending flanges at the ends abutting said post flanges, and securing members passing through the abutting portions of the flanges of said posts and of said shelves, to secure the shelves to the posts, clamp together the abutting sides forming the flange of each post, and form the sole, connections between the posts of each pair, whereby a minimum number of said securing members is necessary to unite said shelves and posts, and all of said securing members will be exposed-at bothsides of said post for easy insertion or removal.

6. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of posts arranged in pairs, the posts of each pair being spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly and the pairs being spaced apart in a row, shelves interposed between the differentpairs of posts in a vertical row and connected to the posts of both pairs between whichthey extend, some of said shelves being disposed at the upper ends of said posts so as to form atop for the shelving, gusset plates of angularshape fitted into the forward corners beneath said top shelves, one arm of each gusset plate abutting. a side of a post and secured thereto, and the other arm constituting a forward face, a plate connecting the forward faces of the gusset plates at opposite ends of a shelf, means carried by the forward faces of said gusset plates for drawing the connecting plate towards said posts, a molding strip having an open rear face and flanges, at the upper and lower edges of said rear face, extending toward one another and hooking beln'nd said plate which is received within said strip, whereby the tightening of said drawing means will through said plate clamp said moulding strip to said posts andsaid gusset plates, and the support for said molding strip will be invisible from the front of the shelving.

7. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of posts arrangedin pairs, the posts of each pair being spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly and the pairs being spaced apart in a row, shelves interposed between the different pairs 'of posts in a vertical row and connected to the posts of both pairs between which they extend, some of said shelves being disposed at the upper ends of said posts so as to form a top for the shelving, an angular gusset plate fitted into each forward corner below one of the end shelves of a vertical row, each gusset plate having a face abutting and secured to the forward post and having its other angular face extending in a direction parallel to the front face of said shelving, a plate clamped to said forward faces of said gusset plates, anda molding strip having flanges at its rear face releasably interlocked with said plate adjacent the upper and lower edges of said plate whereby said strip will be removably confined to said gusset plates with the moldingxstrip extending between the forward posts.

8. A. shelving construction comprising a plurality of tubular posts arranged in pairs at intervals in a row, with the posts of each pair spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly, each post being tubular and open at its upper end, shelves interposed between'the adjacent pairs of posts and connected to the front and rear posts of each pair to form a rigid connection between all of the posts between which they extend, each shelf comprising a plate of sheet metal having depending flanges at its ends, said depending flanges being, connected to the posts of each pair against which said shelf abuts, one of said shelves bein disposed at the upper ends of the posts so as to form a top for the shelving, with its upper, horizontal face disposed slightly above the upper open ends of said posts, means including molding strips connecting the forward posts-of adjacent pairs at the tops of said posts, and a coupling cornice cap extending over the upper end of each forward, intermediate post and the adjacent ends of said molding strips, so as to. conceal the space between adjacent ends of said molding strips and close the top end of that post, the upper face. of said cap being at a-substantial level with'the upper faces of the top shelves. 7 i

9-. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of tubular posts arranged in pairs at intervals in a row, with the posts of each pair spaced apart forwardlyand rearwardly, each post being tubular and open at its upper end, shelves interposed between the adjacent pairs of posts and connected to the front and rear posts of each pair to form a rigid connection between all of the posts between which they extend, each shelf comprising a plate of sheet metal having depending flanges at its ends, said depending flanges being connected to the posts of each pair against which said shelf abuts, one of said shelves being disposed at the upper ends of the posts so as to form a top for the shelving, with its, upper, horizontal face disposed slightly above the upper open ends of said posts, means includingmolding strips connecting the forward posts of adjacent pairs at the tops of said posts, and a coupling cornice cap extending over the upper end of each forward, intermediate post and the adjacent ends of said molding strips and secured to one of the adjacent ends of the molding strips with which it overruns, so as to conceal the' space between adjacent ends of said molding strips and close the top end of that post, the upper face of said cap being at a substantial level with the upper faces of the top shelves.

10. A knock-down shelving construction comprising a plurality of tubular posts forming corners of a shelving section, a plurality of approximately rectangular shape shelves interposed at different levels between said posts, each shelf being formed of sheet metal and having peripheral depending marginal flanges on all edges, the lower portions of said marginal flanges being further flanged horizontally towards the opposite flange and then upwardly, the depending marginal flanges abutting against and being secured to said posts, one of said shelves being disposed near the top of said posts to form a top for the shelving and another shelf being disposed a short distance above the lower ends of said posts, plates secured to some of said posts intermediately below some of said shelves at diiferent levels and fitting against the inner faces of said depending flanges, each of said plates having a groove in the face abutting the marginal depending flange of its shelf to receive the horizontal section and the upturned edge of the depending flange against which the plate abuts, whereby weaving of the frame formed solely by said posts, shelves and plates will be substantially avoided.

11. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of tubular posts forming corners of a shelving section, a plurality of approximately rectangular shape shelves interposed at diiferent levels between said posts, each shelf being formed of sheet metal and having peripheral depending, marginal flanges on all edges, the lower portions of said marginal flanges being further flanged horizontally toward the opposite flange and then upwardly, the depending marginal flanges, at the ends of the shelving section abutting against and being secured to said posts, and angular gusset plates disposed immediately beneath some of said shelves at the forward corners, each gusset plate having one face abutting the posts and secured thereto and having its other face extending somewhat along the front face of the shelving section, both faces of said gusset plate being bent at points intermediate their upper and lower edges, into a U-shape to provide channels which receive and brace the horizontal and upwardly turned flanges on the lower edges of the depending marginal flanges of the shelf under which it is placed.

12. A shelving construction comprising a plurality of tubular posts forming corners of a shelving section, a plurality of approximately rectangular shape shelves interposed at different levels between said posts, each shelf being formed of sheet metal and having peripheral depending, marginal flanges on all edges, the lower portions of said marginal flanges being further flanged horizontally toward the opposite flange and then upwardly, the depending marginal flanges, at the ends of the shelving section, abutting against and being secured to. said posts, angular gusset plates disposed immediately beneath some of said shelves at the forward corners, each gusset plate having one face abutting the posts and secured thereto and having its other face extending somewhat along the front face of the shelving section, both faces of said gusset plate being bent at points intermediate their upper and lower edges, into a U-shape to provide channelswhich receive and brace the horizontal and upwardly turned flanges on the lower edges of the depending marginal flanges of the shelf under which it is placed, and a molding structure extending between and connected to the front faces of the pair of gusset plates below any shelf.

13. In a shelving construction, a tubular post formed of a single integral strip of sheet metal bent lengthwise intermediate its side edges to one side of the same face of the strip and made to converge away from said face and then extend parallel to one another so as to form a flange from the apex edge of the post, and means for securing together the parallel portions forming said flange.

14. In a shelving construction, a plurality of posts of sheet metal arranged in pairs and the pairs in a row, each post being tubular and formed of a single, integral longitudinal strip of sheet metal bent longitudinally on lines intermediate the center and side edges, the bending being at one side of the same face of the strip and the bent edges converging and then extending parallel to one another to make the posts substantially triangular in cross sectionwith a flange extending from the apex of the triangle, the posts of each pair being arranged with the flanges extending toward one another, and shelves interposed between adjacent pairs of posts and connected to the flanges thereof to unite the portions forming each flange and form a unitary structure.

15. In a shelving construction, a plurality of posts of sheet metal arranged in pairs and the pairs in a row, each post being tubular and formed of a single, integral longitudinal strip of sheet metal bent longitudinally on lines intermediate the center and side edges, the bending being at one side of the same face of the strip and the bent edges converging and then extending parallel to one another to make the posts substantially triangular in cross section with a flange extending 

